The daily herald. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1886-1887, 1887-03-29

country to begin 10 lay out their plans
for some hard work. With the recol-
lection of the disgraceful burlesque on
parliamentary government Of the sum
mer Of 1886 fresh in the minds Of all
classes, it is needless to assert the
necessity there is for the public to take
some more effective steps for the pro-
lection Of real national interests than
were taken previous to the grid Of Feb
ruary, last year.
If ever this Kingdom is to be dis
burdcned Of the incubus Of corruption
under which its affairs have groaned
lately, it must be by unanimous up
rising Of the people to the dutytbat lies
nearest them, duty they owe them
selves and their heirs, successors and
assigns forever.
To say that we have no concern in
the affairs Of future generations is to
throw stigma Of contempt upon our
ancestors. Had there been no John
Hampdens, no George Washingtons
and no Yilberforces in the past, where
would civilization be today With the
history Of Europe and America before
them, the least that ought to be ex-
pected Of the present generation IS that
they will prove worthy Of their parent
age.
Popular liberty and really free insti.
tutions have invariably been wrested
from rapacious and arbitrary rulers by
the people themselves. And there is
nothing in the circumstances Of the
Hawaiian Kingdom to warrant its PEG
pie to expect the like results otherwise
than by similar processes. Although
it may not be necessary and probably
will not, in our case, to win reform on
fields Of bloody conflict, the principal
factor must be the same here as else.
where, that is, determined, persistent
aud unqualified assertion Of their rights
on the part Of the people This asser-
ton Of their rights by the people Of
Hawaii has hitherto found expression
only in desultory newspaper utterances
and hard fought but very ill.organized
battles on the floors OF the Legislative
Assembly Before any measures for
reform can ever bear fruit worth pluck
ing, they must assume an organized
shape, in which the forces Of public
opinion can be hurled, like Napoleon's
legions at Austerlitz and Wagram,
against whatever bodies are marshalled
against them. Agitation has done
much 10 enlighten public sentiment on
the issues Of the day, but organization
alone is what makes agitation effective
andlnesistible. Agitationis thewind that
has been bending the crooked political
tree and in many cases only stirring its
roots deeper into the earth; organiza-
ton will be the cyclone that will tear
ii up root and branch and prepare the
soil for the growth of a vigorous,
healthy tree Of real liberty under which
the present and future generations may
repose with security and satisfaction.
The great feature of constitutional
liberty the world over is free and
independent representative legisla-
ton. This is the essential thing in
which the Hawaiian political system
is wanting, Two-thirds Of the mem.
bers of the Legislature Of 1886
may have been free, inasmuch as it was
competent for them to act, if they chose
to do SO, on their own convictions but
that they were not independent was as
notorious in point Of fact as it was evi-
dent in results
For example, the Kahuna Bill, the
Board of GeneaIoey Bill, the Army and
Navy Bill, and, last and GROWING
iniquiiy, the Opium Bill, could never
have successfully run the gauntlet of
majority vote among body Of sane
men, daring to assert their functions as
Independent representatives Of free
people.
chas. T. Gulick---Notary Public.